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Anne Rawland Gabriel Author, Writer, Business Owner How does a person become a writer? Start
writing. Or so the saying goes. Early in her career, Anne Rawland
Gabriel decided this wasn’t good enough. The
question she asked herself was: How does a person
become a great writer? The
answer: Constantly pursue opportunities that expand your horizons; never
assume you know it all; and always maintain a sense of humor. |
From
Cubicle to Corner Office
Gabriel first put her theory into practice when an opportunity
to move from news reporting to marine electronics came along. Although she’d never owned a boat larger than a canoe, Gabriel
quickly became one of the top writers in the field by showing a talent for
demystifying even the most sophisticated of technologies.
Later, a top-25 consumer software company recruited Gabriel to
serve as their public relations executive. Her efforts garnered the company
regular industry and mass media attention in all formats, from radio and
television broadcasts to publications such as Forbes and The Wall
Street Journal. As spokesperson she was
interviewed and quoted extensively, including by Newsweek and The New
York Times. Industry insiders often commented on Gabriel’s ability to
travel solo – communications personnel generally preferred to keep an engineer
handy at all times.
A
Firm of Her Own
Following her own entrepreneurial
spirit, Gabriel eventually left the corporate world. She founded a marketing
communications agency that grew to become the leading regional representative
for established and emerging organizations. Because most of Gabriel’s clients
were developing branding strategies for the first time, she measured success
not by the awards her firm won but by the improvements
her agency made in her clients’ bottom line.
After six years as an employer, Gabriel realized her first love
was putting words on a page and she began to revive her writing career.
Subsequently, Gabriel relocated to the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, metro
area where she lives and works today. Depending on client needs, Gabriel
completes writing, marketing and public relations projects.
Putting
Experience to Work
When Gabriel decided to try her hand at being an author, she
pursued an opportunity to write a book for Entrepreneur Media’s business
start-up series. Editors warned her the only topic
immediately available was one other authors had passed over as “not very much
fun.” Gabriel accepted the challenge and discovered a thoroughly enjoyable
sub-culture during her research for How to Start a Vending Machine Business,
©2000, 2003.
Just as her projects have ranged from annual reports to TV
specials, Gabriel’s print and online publishing credits are equally broad. Some
examples include: Active Living, The ADA Diabetes Forecast, Boating World,
BusiNET.com, Commercial Law Bulletin, Computers in Accounting, Home &
Outdoor Expo, The Meeting Professional, Minnesota, Minnesota Technology,
Petsmart.com, School Music Dealer, Startups.com, Wildlife Conservation,
WizmoNews.com, and Women’s Sports+Fitness.
Although she considers herself fortunate to have spent two
decades doing something different nearly everyday,
Gabriel still wonders if she’ll ever own a boat larger
than a canoe.
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Reserved